SECRET OF MANA (SNES)
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Publisher: Squaresoft.
Developer: Squaresoft. Released: November 1994 (Europe). Genre: RPG. Posted 19th November 2012. By Chris Weatherley © 2012 |
Every so often in the evolution of gaming, a title will come along that sets a new benchmark that all else will attempt to follow and emulate. A huge stepping stone in the advancement of any particular genre if you will, that will influence further titles to come. In the RPG field, it’s not difficult to spot which games do this, the likes of Dragon Slayer and The Legend of Zelda being such groundbreaking releases. Secret of Mana, the second game in the Mana series is one such game to achieve this feat. Known as Seiken Densetsu 2 in Japan, Secret of Mana brought a whole host of new gameplay developments to the knights’ table, and with original concepts and an engaging storyline, it did this with aplomb and distinction. Let’s take a trip to the land of the Holy Sword.
On first glimpse, things seem all rather familiar and emblematic of the RPGs of the time. You have a top-down view, 8-way movement, speech bubbles for each character, experience points to gain, that kind of thing. However, after about ten minutes in you realise this is an RPG like no other before. After you have taken control of your hero, you are briefly led to the first scene which sets the story up. During this you are helpfully informed how to fight and use objects, all told within the narrative, and then it’s off you go on your quest. Like Legend of Zelda, there are no time limits and a degree of free-roaming in the game screen, paths can be chosen by the player to a certain extent, but the sequence of events is generally linear. As you progress, you meet with other cohorts that will form your party. This is one of the key aspects of Mana, as additional players can take control of your two companions, making this a multi-player co-op adventure. Something of which is not that common even today with JRPGs, Mana I believe one of the first to have this innovation. Best of all, you can switch between your party members if playing on your own, or set them to computer control. This is yet another development as you can fine tune their behavioural A.I. depending on your preferences. This is a very handy feature and adds yet more playability to the proceedings.
In the nineties, Square knew the secret to making great RPGs
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Lots of good hiding spots for when the monster scares you
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Before you become acquainted with your buddies however, you have two other notable parts of the gameplay to be introduced too. The first brings a practicality and fluency that I had never experienced before in an RPG; the ‘ring menu’ system. This was very innovative at the time and prevents the action from stopping by not switching to separate menu screens. Once the menu is activated, you have all the options at your disposal; weapon select, items, spells and armour, all without leaving the playing screen as it pauses momentarily. You can also fully customise settings of the game to your own liking; set and check your limit levels, spell levels, behaviours, change menu colour schemes. It’s all there and easy to access. Many RPGs suffer from a bit of over-complication in this department, but thankfully with Mana this system is just so simple and pleasant to use, making the game very friendly for any RPG novice.
The other massive step is the battle arrangement. Active Time Battle’s were just coming into the fray around the early nineties, Final Fantasy IV introducing the system most prominently. Secret of Mana uses a combination of Real Time Battle and ATB. It’s just not a case of frantically whacking an enemy; you have to wait for your power to return to 100% before you can administer a hard strike, making the fights tactical as well as exciting, and all in real time. Genius! Finally, there is also a fledgling ‘Limit Break’ feature, charging your weapon to create a more powerful hit, 8 of these for 8 different weapons. This is imperative with the Hero character, as he has no magical abilities; these attributes go to the girl (defence spells) and the sprite (attack spells). This, like Final Fantasy IX, brings a balance and fair usage of all characters. Because they don’t have the same abilities, they are all that more important to the cause. This dynamic is essential to the depth and diversity of the gameplay, but still keeps all the fundamentals in place. All these factors make Mana very approachable and straightforward to pick up, but also make it so addictive and enjoyable even to an RPG veteran, you just feel you have to master all those weapons, moves and spells, all for the sake of Mana.
Top-down RPGs often look quite similar to one another, and Mana gives that impression, but it’s presented in such a wonderfully vibrant and refined manner. Drawn in an anime style, with superb animation and vivid colours, the range of backgrounds, textures and effects are vast. The boss sprites in particular are large, menacing and excellently drawn. The two methods of long distance travel are also original ideas and depicted well in the mode 7 rendered world map; flying Flammie is the best example of this, even if the ground appears very flat and lacking detail. Graphically, it doesn’t push the SNES to its limits, but it is eye-catching and satisfying. Issues are present however; there is a small amount of repetition to the environment and secondary sprites, there are the odd graphical glitches occasionally, and some of the scenery can put a strain on the old peepers if concentrated on too extensively.
The other massive step is the battle arrangement. Active Time Battle’s were just coming into the fray around the early nineties, Final Fantasy IV introducing the system most prominently. Secret of Mana uses a combination of Real Time Battle and ATB. It’s just not a case of frantically whacking an enemy; you have to wait for your power to return to 100% before you can administer a hard strike, making the fights tactical as well as exciting, and all in real time. Genius! Finally, there is also a fledgling ‘Limit Break’ feature, charging your weapon to create a more powerful hit, 8 of these for 8 different weapons. This is imperative with the Hero character, as he has no magical abilities; these attributes go to the girl (defence spells) and the sprite (attack spells). This, like Final Fantasy IX, brings a balance and fair usage of all characters. Because they don’t have the same abilities, they are all that more important to the cause. This dynamic is essential to the depth and diversity of the gameplay, but still keeps all the fundamentals in place. All these factors make Mana very approachable and straightforward to pick up, but also make it so addictive and enjoyable even to an RPG veteran, you just feel you have to master all those weapons, moves and spells, all for the sake of Mana.
Top-down RPGs often look quite similar to one another, and Mana gives that impression, but it’s presented in such a wonderfully vibrant and refined manner. Drawn in an anime style, with superb animation and vivid colours, the range of backgrounds, textures and effects are vast. The boss sprites in particular are large, menacing and excellently drawn. The two methods of long distance travel are also original ideas and depicted well in the mode 7 rendered world map; flying Flammie is the best example of this, even if the ground appears very flat and lacking detail. Graphically, it doesn’t push the SNES to its limits, but it is eye-catching and satisfying. Issues are present however; there is a small amount of repetition to the environment and secondary sprites, there are the odd graphical glitches occasionally, and some of the scenery can put a strain on the old peepers if concentrated on too extensively.
Nothing like a bit of cheap headwear to kick off a JRPG
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Delusional, but the boy means well.
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Now, it’s common knowledge that many role-playing soundtracks have something special about them, and Mana is no exception. Hiroki Kikuta is responsible for these terrific compositions, of such a fine quality the main theme was performed by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and many others too. From the title screen music (Fear of the Heavens), to all the in-game audio tracks, it’s just a perfect match to the disposition of the game. It’s fun when it needs to be, but can be sinister when required. The highlights for me would be the surreal Pure Land theme and the eerie techno-infused Dark Lich music. The effects do play their part too of course, all appropriate and well-synchronised, with just a few dodgy tones that tend to drill into the eardrums a tad. This is an insignificant complaint however, because overall SOM is one of the best-sounding games on the Super Nintendo, and given the wealth of RPGs to feature excellent original soundtracks around the time, this is high praise.
Finally, any RPG worth its salt has to have a good storyline, and again things are near-flawless. Borrowing segments from The Sword in the Stone story, Secret of Mana takes you on an extensive tale of bravery, sacrifice, honour, power-hungry villains and vengeful gods. With a few twists here and there, some mild horror and a few laughs, it’s an engaging fable if not all that original. As with many comic book stories from the land of the rising sun, things can get mystifying and convoluted from time to time, and the clues for finding secret items and paths can be somewhat unclear. The original story in Japanese was longer and explained more particulars, but due to the English translation and amount of screen space available, the plot was trimmed down. It’s rather a moot point however, and does in no way change the outcome that this is a very fine game. Compelling and challenging, first-class gameplay, stunning music and great visuals, many critics have held Secret of Mana in high regard. I am not one to buck that trend. The revered Final Fantasy VI followed a year later, but for me it never outclassed this. 18 years after buying my import copy, I still play it to this day, because it’s just that damn good. A classic title that all role-playing fans should own. No secret about it.
Finally, any RPG worth its salt has to have a good storyline, and again things are near-flawless. Borrowing segments from The Sword in the Stone story, Secret of Mana takes you on an extensive tale of bravery, sacrifice, honour, power-hungry villains and vengeful gods. With a few twists here and there, some mild horror and a few laughs, it’s an engaging fable if not all that original. As with many comic book stories from the land of the rising sun, things can get mystifying and convoluted from time to time, and the clues for finding secret items and paths can be somewhat unclear. The original story in Japanese was longer and explained more particulars, but due to the English translation and amount of screen space available, the plot was trimmed down. It’s rather a moot point however, and does in no way change the outcome that this is a very fine game. Compelling and challenging, first-class gameplay, stunning music and great visuals, many critics have held Secret of Mana in high regard. I am not one to buck that trend. The revered Final Fantasy VI followed a year later, but for me it never outclassed this. 18 years after buying my import copy, I still play it to this day, because it’s just that damn good. A classic title that all role-playing fans should own. No secret about it.
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VERDICT
Visual: 8/10
Audio: 10/10 Gameplay: 10/10 Longevity: 10/10 OVERALL: 10/10 |